Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Hillary bounces back in the Democratic nomination betting a

13

Comments

  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674
    TGOHF said:

    Scottish unemployement rises 18,000 to 170,000

    Why are the SNP failing the country so badly ?


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-34469567

    "It's getting harder to sustain the argument that the Scottish economy has at least kept pace with the rest of the UK."

    Better Together , you just have to love all that pooling and NOT sharing.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    glw said:

    There are now 3.18 million non-UK nationals in the workforce.

    So if the EU has 3 million jobs dependent on it, it looks like we've imported the people to do them.

    Presumably these people are unaware of the thousands of man-eating wolves that are to be reintroduced to the British countryside.

    One wolf says to the other. "I fancy a take-out: Indian or Chinese?"
  • flightpath01flightpath01 Posts: 4,903

    MikeK said:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34524078

    Chancellor George Osborne is urging "moderate" Labour MPs to rebel against their leadership and support his plan to balance the economy in a vote later.

    And they call Osborne a master tactician? The big tit should keep his mouth shut to get better results.

    As a former Conservative, it must be a bitter pill for you to swallow to see the economy doing so well.
    It's a bitter pill for all the anti Osborne crowd to swallow. Having been proved massively wrong, possibly at cost to their pockets, they are now about as far up that river in Egypt as it is possible to go without a paddle.
    Likewise of course all those who bet against Hillary on the basis of some daft smearing are also suddenly, but frankly not unexpectedly, looking silly.
    I hope Hillary is found in bed with a goat and the GOP some how defies the odds and selects someone sane, but on the basis of probability Hillary will be the next president. It's not saying much but she will probably turn out to be twice the president Obama was. She won't have that idiot Kerry as secretary if state anyway.
    Anyone who likes long odds had better start putting money on Chelsea now.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    MikeK said:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34524078

    Chancellor George Osborne is urging "moderate" Labour MPs to rebel against their leadership and support his plan to balance the economy in a vote later.

    And they call Osborne a master tactician? The big tit should keep his mouth shut to get better results.

    Have you considered that he *doesn't* want them to rebel?

  • richardDoddrichardDodd Posts: 5,472
    MD It would appear that most Labour MPs have got substantial stomachs..its the other things they need
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Mr. Charles, the other replies, "Nah, I'm a vegetarian. I'll have a Swede instead."
  • TGOHF said:

    Scottish unemployement rises 18,000 to 170,000

    Why are the SNP failing the country so badly ?


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-34469567

    "It's getting harder to sustain the argument that the Scottish economy has at least kept pace with the rest of the UK."

    The SNP isn't working. I dare say there's a large emigration of job seekers from the Nat occupied territory that ameliorates those shocking Scottish unemployment figures.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    Nick Robinson: What the Treasury minister is not saying to @BBCr4today : "Of course fiscal charter was designed as a trap for Labour & it's already worked"
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    The BBC compare Scotland's economic figures with the rest of the UK. It would have been helpful to see them compared with the rest of the EU as well.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,559

    So 2 million is less than 3 million. Are you also proposing that were we to Leave then there would be zero French, German or other nationals from across our continent living in the UK? You can not just artificially add all Europeans up and say it's due to the UK unless you're proposing that if we leave we deport all non nationals and let no new ones in. Are you?

    Not at all, there would be controlled migration same for the yanks and the ozzies. But the bulk of people are coming from E. Europe and if the rate of increase stays the same it will be 2.5 million by the time we have a vote.

    So if the EU plays silly buggers and we lose the 3 millon jobs obviously we would have to send people back home and put our own nationals first.
    That is disgusting. Firstly the jobs lost would not be fulfilled by the people who have migrated and have filled other jobs that are not related. So you would do what, kick a foreign national who is legally here out of the country against their will and then compel by force a British national with no skills or experience in the job the foreign national was doing into that role? Seriously?

    There will always be migration into any country and emigration too. We have hundreds of thousands of people emigrating this year, I am assuming you are not proposing we put up an Iron Curtain to prevent people from emigrating? Which means that unless we have an Iron Curtain put up to prevent emigration we must have hundreds of thousands of immigrants per annum to keep net migration at zero let alone the tens of thousands we aspire to.

    So your counterfactual outside of the EU meaning zero non-UK nationals is either complete twaddle, or you are proposing an Iron Curtain to prevent emigration too, or you want to preside over a catastrophic population decline with net emigration in the hundreds of thousands.

    I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're just talking twaddle.
    Countries remove foreign nationals all the time. Mrs Merkel is setting up transit zones for mass deportations atm or haven't you noticed ?

    Your hysterical reaction simple shows you don't understand what controlled immigration means. It means we impoirt skills we need at a time of our choosing, it doesn't mean we stop immigration altogether.

    As ever the weskness of your argument shows through when you jump to the extreme situation and present it as the norm.

    Twaddle.

    Cubed. .
  • richardDoddrichardDodd Posts: 5,472
    edited October 2015
    JJ Rum is well worth a visit.. if only for a stay at the great hotel there and a trek over to the family mausoleum on the far side.. where the bodies of three members of the family that owned the place each are seated in a stone vault that has a window so the occupant would have a view of the sea..spooky but magical..You can also see the damage done by deer to a fenced off region of the Island.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453

    The SNP isn't working. I dare say there's a large emigration of job seekers from the Nat occupied territory that ameliorates those shocking Scottish unemployment figures.

    The Indyref forced finance companies to admit they would move out of Scotland
    If you dig down a bit further into the sectors, the statistics tell us that finance and insurance contracted more than 1% in the most recent quarter, continuing a decline since the start of last year, and 3.6% over the 12-month period.
    Indyref2 is just making it worse
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @AndrewSparrow: McDonnell says Labour MPs won't rebel over fiscal charter as he admits leaving them 'confused' - http://t.co/3EsiteLrJW
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 4,785
    Charles said:

    Oh dear dear dear. It seems some people here are more than a little upset that the report does not state (as would have been quite within its remit without apportioning blame) that the missile was fired from rebel held territory. Keep flapping guys, I'm sure no-one will notice...

    Why was it in their remit to say where the missile was fired from? That issue was irrelevant to the investigation as set out, at least as far as I see it. Where it was fired from, and who fired it, is irrelevant to what caused the plane to break up, or recommendations as to how such an incident could be avoided in the future.

    The type of missile and warhead was within the remit, as they were trying to explain what caused the plane to break up, not who fired it.

    This is common with all sorts of accident reports: the main requirement is to find out what happened, and leave any prosecutions for who did it (whether by incompetence or malice) to the relevant authorities.

    We'll see what happens when the Dutch criminal investigation report is released.
    They did say where it was fired from, that's the point. A 320 square km area in Eastern Ukraine. Had there been a smaller and more specific potential launch area they could and would have said so.
    It would sound bigger if you converted it into square yards.

    Alternatively you could say a 12 x 12 mile area and most people would realise that it is small and specific in the context of the size of Eastern Ukraine.

    Most likely this act was perpetrated by Russian backed and Russian supplied rebels (whether they were actually Russians we will probably never know).

    All your shilling for Putin won't change the fact that he is an avaricious, power-hungry thug
    Honestly, just from a technical perspective, the accident report did so much of the maths around where the missile exploded, how the plane split up and fell to earth, that it would have made no sense whatsoever not to address the path of the incoming missile as part of that. That the area from which the missile was fired forms the join point between the accident and criminal investigations seems so natural as to be trivial.

    Interesting that in the press conference the actually said they had given their data to other parties, including the Russians, who had run their own calculations. Not only were far narrower areas defined by the other parties, but they fell slap bang in the middle of the Dutch 12 mile x 12 mile-ish segment. On this particular occasion, it didn't look to me like Russian finagling was in play.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    prescriptions for antidepressants have jumped by 66.6 per cent in the last decade.
    How many of them since the SNP came into power...
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Miss Vance, one is reminded of the Simpsons scene wherein Sideshow Bob spends about a minute walking into a dozen assorted rakes.

    Labour must be looking longingly at the days of Miliband.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149

    Carnyx said:

    I have camped in some of those remote areas of Scotland...I would hate to be woken up by a very hungry wolf looking for breakfast...with me as the main course.

    Those midges feast on tourists already. I would swap them for wolves anyday.
    Highland Cows probably pose more risk to campers and walkers than wolves.

    Having said that, I'm not in favour of the reintroduction of wolves into the Highlands.
    IIRC, reintroduction of wolves was actively considered for Rum in the 1970s-1980s but it was decided that the island was too small to support a reasonably sized population without the normal stochastic variation of population leading to local extinction too soon.

    Lynx is much more doable in any case. Smaller, higher population density, eat smaller prey.

    But overpopulation of Red Deer continues to be a worry.
    As an aside, I recently read a book about Archie Cameron, who lived on Rum as a child in the early 1900s. 'Bare feet and tackety boots'

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bare-Feet-Tackety-Boots-Boyhood/dp/0946487170

    A quite fascinating portrayal of poverty amongst riches.
    It is indeed. For those who haven't been, Rum is a weird place - cleared and then a huge posh Victorian house plonked on a fair chunk of the very small proportion of arable land on the island, for hunting, shooting and fishing. Even with a turtle (for soup) pool in the greenhouse. But it went the way of all such lifestyles.


  • Plato_SaysPlato_Says Posts: 11,822
    What else can you expect from the man who killed Mozart? :wink:

    Mr. Palmer, I saw episode 1 of season 5 on Sunday [shan't be spoiling it, of course].

    I think it's a natural stance to take. It'd be brave indeed to have the protagonists within the CIA, and make the CIA an instrument of evil.

    As for 'Muslims being evil', the premise is about fighting terrorism. It could down the weak-kneed route of referring to unofficial splinter groups denounced by XYZ, or it can tackle something more realistic. Unfortunately, Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Al-Nusra and the Taliban are unified by something more significant than a predilection for beards.

    Also worth noting that a number of significant characters on the 'good' side were Muslim.

    On the CIA front: at least one recurring character is dodgy as hell.

  • Plato_SaysPlato_Says Posts: 11,822
    To be 'kicked in the Corbyns' could be the next euphemism of choice :smiley:

    Mr. Antifrank, it's also a golden opportunity for Labour MPs to kick Corbyn. If they have the stomach for the fight.

  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,401
    Northern Powerhouse doesn't extend to Merseyside...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34520919
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    Scott_P said:
    How many of them since the SNP came into power...

    Now now...its actually a serious matter - the unanswered questions are why are so many being prescribed, what for, and what (if anything) is the government doing about it/should be doing about it. The Tories have picked up the SNP on what may have been a foolish commitment:

    “This incredible increase over the years in antidepressant use is extremely alarming. Years ago the SNP pledged to stop this rise, yet it hasn’t even been able to make a dent in it.

    If it was previously undiagnosed disease thats now being treated then it could be a 'success' in limited terms.....
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    Mr. Charles, the other replies, "Nah, I'm a vegetarian. I'll have a Swede instead."

    :)
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,517

    JJ Rum is well worth a visit.. if only for a stay at the great hotel there and a trek over to the family mausoleum on the far side.. where the bodies of three members of the family that owned the place each are seated in a stone vault that has a window so the occupant would have a view of the sea..spooky but magical..You can also see the damage done by deer to a fenced off region of the Island.

    I want to visit the remote telegraph post an islander died trying to beat up.

    (If I remember the story correctly, he was an alcoholic who had gone to meet the ship to pick up his monthly provisions. He lived in a remote area, and in the morning his wife reported him missing. They found his body on the moors next to a telegraph post, with his supplies of drink empty next to him. Hos knuckles were badly grazed, as if he had been in a fight. The conclusion was that he had sat down to have a drink, got drunk, then picked a fight with the telegraph post in the dark. He then fell asleep and died of exposure).
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,559
    YouGov Germany

    56% of germans say too many asylumseekers, 19% ready to take more.

    Merkel feeling the heat.


    http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/kritik-an-angela-merkels-fluechtlingspolitik-in-der-cdu-13855818.html
  • Who will be the first Labour MP to switch to the Conservatives?

    Right wing Labour MPs who may be threatened with de-selection could be interested.

    Is this most likely in a Labour marginal seat with boundary changes and the incumbant wants to remain the MP after the next election?

    Just asking.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,517

    Northern Powerhouse doesn't extend to Merseyside...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34520919

    It sounds like some councillors on Merseyside did not want to be part of the Northern Powerhouse.

    Still, let's hope the continuing talks sort things out.
  • JEOJEO Posts: 3,656
    “It’s the impact on the children that has been the hardest,” says Tabbakhe. “My four-year-old daughter is too young to understand that she doesn’t eat pork. It’s not something she’s aware of and it’s not something we talk about. What am I supposed to tell her now? We tried to subtly tell her we didn’t eat pork at home. But she thought ‘pork’ was a type of dessert. She said, ‘Yes, I do eat it, it’s delicious.’ That would be funny if it wasn’t such an awful situation.

    Personally, I don't see why a child should be forced to have a pork-free diet based on the religious views of the parents. But it matters a lot to some people. Why don't they just allow parents to send in packed lunches with whatever requirements they need? Then the child gets to avoid the unclean pig meat, but the taxpayer does not have to fund the additional option.
  • isamisam Posts: 40,731

    Scott_P said:
    How many of them since the SNP came into power...
    Now now...its actually a serious matter - the unanswered questions are why are so many being prescribed, what for, and what (if anything) is the government doing about it/should be doing about it. The Tories have picked up the SNP on what may have been a foolish commitment:

    “This incredible increase over the years in antidepressant use is extremely alarming. Years ago the SNP pledged to stop this rise, yet it hasn’t even been able to make a dent in it.

    If it was previously undiagnosed disease thats now being treated then it could be a 'success' in limited terms.....

    Possibly the thalidomide of our time? Over prescribed easy option

    One of my friends is a v successful self made businessman, self employed, place in the south of France, charismatic, successful with ladies, but....

    When he doesn't get his own way and isn't control of his destiny, ie when a woman he likes rejects him, he suddenly has a 'chemical imbalance' in the brain and is depressed... Doctors are giving him loads of ADs plus Valium to sleep and now he is constantly trying to get off of them/can't sleep without them...

    Seems obvious to all of us that he needs to have coaching in accepting things out if his control, but 8 years now he has been on and off these drugs
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,559
    JEO said:

    “It’s the impact on the children that has been the hardest,” says Tabbakhe. “My four-year-old daughter is too young to understand that she doesn’t eat pork. It’s not something she’s aware of and it’s not something we talk about. What am I supposed to tell her now? We tried to subtly tell her we didn’t eat pork at home. But she thought ‘pork’ was a type of dessert. She said, ‘Yes, I do eat it, it’s delicious.’ That would be funny if it wasn’t such an awful situation.

    Personally, I don't see why a child should be forced to have a pork-free diet based on the religious views of the parents. But it matters a lot to some people. Why don't they just allow parents to send in packed lunches with whatever requirements they need? Then the child gets to avoid the unclean pig meat, but the taxpayer does not have to fund the additional option.
    Well I think this is culture wars by proxy. On the other hand where's the vegetarian option ?
  • david_herdsondavid_herdson Posts: 17,401
    Scott_P said:

    @AndrewSparrow: McDonnell says Labour MPs won't rebel over fiscal charter as he admits leaving them 'confused' - http://t.co/3EsiteLrJW

    To be fair, it's difficult to rebel when McDonnell himself supports both points of view.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,047
    edited October 2015
    Charles said:

    Oh dear dear dear. It seems some people here are more than a little upset that the report does not state (as would have been quite within its remit without apportioning blame) that the missile was fired from rebel held territory. Keep flapping guys, I'm sure no-one will notice...

    Why was it in their remit to say where the missile was fired from? That issue was irrelevant to the investigation as set out, at least as far as I see it. Where it was fired from, and who fired it, is irrelevant to what caused the plane to break up, or recommendations as to how such an incident could be avoided in the future.

    The type of missile and warhead was within the remit, as they were trying to explain what caused the plane to break up, not who fired it.

    This is common with all sorts of accident reports: the main requirement is to find out what happened, and leave any prosecutions for who did it (whether by incompetence or malice) to the relevant authorities.

    We'll see what happens when the Dutch criminal investigation report is released.
    They did say where it was fired from, that's the point. A 320 square km area in Eastern Ukraine. Had there been a smaller and more specific potential launch area they could and would have said so.
    It would sound bigger if you converted it into square yards.

    Alternatively you could say a 12 x 12 mile area and most people would realise that it is small and specific in the context of the size of Eastern Ukraine.

    Most likely this act was perpetrated by Russian backed and Russian supplied rebels (whether they were actually Russians we will probably never know).

    All your shilling for Putin won't change the fact that he is an avaricious, power-hungry thug
    320 square kilometres is 123.5 square miles to my knowledge. If you know differently, by all means say so.

    (Edit - having re-read your post I now understand - please disregard my comments on measurement)

    I don't shill for anyone - my posts are utterly consistent with my beliefs and always have been. Your attempt to smear me is disgraceful.
  • John_MJohn_M Posts: 7,503

    Scott_P said:

    @AndrewSparrow: McDonnell says Labour MPs won't rebel over fiscal charter as he admits leaving them 'confused' - http://t.co/3EsiteLrJW

    To be fair, it's difficult to rebel when McDonnell himself supports both points of view.
    It's only 11am. He might change his mind again, who can say?
  • flightpath01flightpath01 Posts: 4,903

    Mr. Antifrank, it's also a golden opportunity for Labour MPs to kick Corbyn. If they have the stomach for the fight.

    You are correct. The circumstances are perfect for them to rebel and lay down their calling cards. But will they? At some point they have to put their money where their mouths are, declare themselves. But will they? Frankly if they do not do it here and now then Corbyn will be laughing himself silly.
  • Charles said:

    Oh dear dear dear. It seems some people here are more than a little upset that the report does not state (as would have been quite within its remit without apportioning blame) that the missile was fired from rebel held territory. Keep flapping guys, I'm sure no-one will notice...

    Why was it in their remit to say where the missile was fired from? That issue was irrelevant to the investigation as set out, at least as far as I see it. Where it was fired from, and who fired it, is irrelevant to what caused the plane to break up, or recommendations as to how such an incident could be avoided in the future.

    The type of missile and warhead was within the remit, as they were trying to explain what caused the plane to break up, not who fired it.

    This is common with all sorts of accident reports: the main requirement is to find out what happened, and leave any prosecutions for who did it (whether by incompetence or malice) to the relevant authorities.

    We'll see what happens when the Dutch criminal investigation report is released.
    They did say where it was fired from, that's the point. A 320 square km area in Eastern Ukraine. Had there been a smaller and more specific potential launch area they could and would have said so.
    It would sound bigger if you converted it into square yards.

    Alternatively you could say a 12 x 12 mile area and most people would realise that it is small and specific in the context of the size of Eastern Ukraine.

    Most likely this act was perpetrated by Russian backed and Russian supplied rebels (whether they were actually Russians we will probably never know).

    All your shilling for Putin won't change the fact that he is an avaricious, power-hungry thug
    320 square kilometres is 123.5 square miles to my knowledge. If you know differently, by all means say so.

    I don't shill for anyone - my posts are utterly consistent with my beliefs and always have been. Your attempt to smear me is disgraceful.
    Which is actually smaller than the 12 mile x 12 mile block quoted by Charles.
  • malcolmg said:

    chestnut said:

    fitalass said:

    Interesting article in the Herald Scotland - SNP being lured into most blatant fiscal trap in 300 years

    As The Herald reported yesterday, the think tank IPPR calculates that the average family in Scotland will be £200 worse off
    That's a sizeable difference from the £1000+ a year being bandied around by all and sundry in the UK wide press.
    Is that the tame Tory thinktank , surprise surprise they cannot count.
    IPPR are run by a Labour ex SPAD and is stuffed full of Labourites and Lib Dems.
  • peter_from_putneypeter_from_putney Posts: 6,875
    edited October 2015

    Who will be the first Labour MP to switch to the Conservatives?

    Right wing Labour MPs who may be threatened with de-selection could be interested.

    Is this most likely in a Labour marginal seat with boundary changes and the incumbant wants to remain the MP after the next election?

    Just asking.

    David - Do you have a particular MP and constituency in mind?
    Maybe Shadsy would like to offer odds.
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 4,785

    Northern Powerhouse doesn't extend to Merseyside...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34520919

    It sounds like some councillors on Merseyside did not want to be part of the Northern Powerhouse.

    Still, let's hope the continuing talks sort things out.
    My word, they want to split Warrington and Runcorn into separate devolution zones. Eileen Bilton (previously obtainable on Warrington 39591) will be furious.
  • notmenotme Posts: 3,293

    Northern Powerhouse doesn't extend to Merseyside...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34520919

    It sounds like some councillors on Merseyside did not want to be part of the Northern Powerhouse.

    Still, let's hope the continuing talks sort things out.
    The government wont hand over extra powers unless it has confidence in the local leaders, both elected and paid officers. The bid needs to show you can handle what you are about to get.

    It's a typical British, lets see if it works piecemeal approach. The gvt have huge confidence in the capacity of Manchester and its civic leaders to manage the new responsibilities.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842
    Pakistan 450-4 off of 133 overs.

    The wicket is benign for the moment but will turn more later into the game. It will certainly be a far harsher test of mental fortitude to save the match (As much as can realistically be hoped for after losing the toss) than winning the Ashes was. A good match for England to show what they're made of.
  • DairDair Posts: 6,108
    Carnyx said:

    I have camped in some of those remote areas of Scotland...I would hate to be woken up by a very hungry wolf looking for breakfast...with me as the main course.

    Those midges feast on tourists already. I would swap them for wolves anyday.
    Highland Cows probably pose more risk to campers and walkers than wolves.

    Having said that, I'm not in favour of the reintroduction of wolves into the Highlands.
    IIRC, reintroduction of wolves was actively considered for Rum [edit:both an island and a National Nature Reserve] in the 1970s-1980s but it was decided that the island was too small to support a reasonably sized population without the normal stochastic variation of population leading to local extinction too soon.

    Lynx is much more doable in any case [edit] for Scotland as a whole. Smaller, higher population density, eat smaller prey.

    But overpopulation of Red Deer continues to be a worry.

    The idea of reintroducing wolves seems quite ridiculous, there is no benefit and only cost. The reintroduction of raptors or lynx which target vermin is a much clearer choice.

    The whole business around deer seems bizarre to me and what I don;t get is why the marketplace for consumer venison is still considered (and priced) as a premium product at premium prices when it would appear to be an excellent and healthier alternative to beef and pork.

    I'd be interested to know what is preventing such a change as it would seem that if left to the market the overpopulation problem would be solved and provide the country with a huge amount of healthy, cheap meat.
  • DairDair Posts: 6,108
    malcolmg said:

    TGOHF said:

    Scottish unemployement rises 18,000 to 170,000

    Why are the SNP failing the country so badly ?


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-34469567

    "It's getting harder to sustain the argument that the Scottish economy has at least kept pace with the rest of the UK."

    Better Together , you just have to love all that pooling and NOT sharing.
    Indeed, Westminster has attempted to use the contraction in the oil industry to leave Holyrood high and dry with late intervention on taxation and absolutely no financial support.

    Yet the Scottish Government have done an excellent job in preventing any meaningful impact on the Scottish economy from the contraction. Westminster must be gutted that their deliberate attempts to harm the Scottish economy have failed.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674
    notme said:

    Northern Powerhouse doesn't extend to Merseyside...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34520919

    It sounds like some councillors on Merseyside did not want to be part of the Northern Powerhouse.

    Still, let's hope the continuing talks sort things out.
    The government wont hand over extra powers unless it has confidence in the local leaders, both elected and paid officers. The bid needs to show you can handle what you are about to get.

    It's a typical British, lets see if it works piecemeal approach. The gvt have huge confidence in the capacity of Manchester and its civic leaders to manage the new responsibilities.
    Yes , only those halfwits in Westminster can decide who is responsible, as they wreck the country to fill their own boots.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,401
    edited October 2015
    Liverpool, the only northern city with an elected mayor, not appropriate to be at the heart of a Liverpool city-region with an elected mayor.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,559
    malcolmg said:

    notme said:

    Northern Powerhouse doesn't extend to Merseyside...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34520919

    It sounds like some councillors on Merseyside did not want to be part of the Northern Powerhouse.

    Still, let's hope the continuing talks sort things out.
    The government wont hand over extra powers unless it has confidence in the local leaders, both elected and paid officers. The bid needs to show you can handle what you are about to get.

    It's a typical British, lets see if it works piecemeal approach. The gvt have huge confidence in the capacity of Manchester and its civic leaders to manage the new responsibilities.
    Yes , only those halfwits in Westminster can decide who is responsible, as they wreck the country to fill their own boots.
    which 56 MPs are you referring to ?
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674
    Scott_P said:
    How many of them since the SNP came into power...

    Ha Ha Ha the numpties now have the SNP also dispensing prescriptions, what superhumans they must be. Probably you that is causing the rise.
  • Dair said:

    Carnyx said:

    I have camped in some of those remote areas of Scotland...I would hate to be woken up by a very hungry wolf looking for breakfast...with me as the main course.

    Those midges feast on tourists already. I would swap them for wolves anyday.
    Highland Cows probably pose more risk to campers and walkers than wolves.

    Having said that, I'm not in favour of the reintroduction of wolves into the Highlands.
    IIRC, reintroduction of wolves was actively considered for Rum [edit:both an island and a National Nature Reserve] in the 1970s-1980s but it was decided that the island was too small to support a reasonably sized population without the normal stochastic variation of population leading to local extinction too soon.

    Lynx is much more doable in any case [edit] for Scotland as a whole. Smaller, higher population density, eat smaller prey.

    But overpopulation of Red Deer continues to be a worry.

    The idea of reintroducing wolves seems quite ridiculous, there is no benefit and only cost. The reintroduction of raptors or lynx which target vermin is a much clearer choice.

    The whole business around deer seems bizarre to me and what I don;t get is why the marketplace for consumer venison is still considered (and priced) as a premium product at premium prices when it would appear to be an excellent and healthier alternative to beef and pork.

    I'd be interested to know what is preventing such a change as it would seem that if left to the market the overpopulation problem would be solved and provide the country with a huge amount of healthy, cheap meat.
    In advocating such a policy, are you well read Dair?

    (I'll get me coat)
  • watford30watford30 Posts: 3,474
    edited October 2015
    malcolmg said:

    notme said:

    Northern Powerhouse doesn't extend to Merseyside...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34520919

    It sounds like some councillors on Merseyside did not want to be part of the Northern Powerhouse.

    Still, let's hope the continuing talks sort things out.
    The government wont hand over extra powers unless it has confidence in the local leaders, both elected and paid officers. The bid needs to show you can handle what you are about to get.

    It's a typical British, lets see if it works piecemeal approach. The gvt have huge confidence in the capacity of Manchester and its civic leaders to manage the new responsibilities.
    Yes , only those halfwits in Westminster can decide who is responsible, as they wreck the country to fill their own boots.
    Referring to the 59, Scottish Unemployment and dodgy property deals again, I see.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Mr. Isam, indeed. Anti-depressant rates are so high that there are trace amounts in the water.

    They're given too readily, and then people, as your friend's example indicates, struggle to get off them.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    Dair said:

    malcolmg said:

    TGOHF said:

    Scottish unemployement rises 18,000 to 170,000

    Why are the SNP failing the country so badly ?


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-34469567

    "It's getting harder to sustain the argument that the Scottish economy has at least kept pace with the rest of the UK."

    Better Together , you just have to love all that pooling and NOT sharing.
    Westminster must be gutted that their deliberate attempts to harm the Scottish economy have failed.
    Nurse!
  • felixfelix Posts: 15,124

    YouGov Germany

    56% of germans say too many asylumseekers, 19% ready to take more.

    Merkel feeling the heat.


    http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/kritik-an-angela-merkels-fluechtlingspolitik-in-der-cdu-13855818.html

    They need some hard-headed journalism like we saw from the BBC and Sky - that'll get the ...19% figure ...down :)
  • DairDair Posts: 6,108

    Dair said:

    malcolmg said:

    TGOHF said:

    Scottish unemployement rises 18,000 to 170,000

    Why are the SNP failing the country so badly ?


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-34469567

    "It's getting harder to sustain the argument that the Scottish economy has at least kept pace with the rest of the UK."

    Better Together , you just have to love all that pooling and NOT sharing.
    Westminster must be gutted that their deliberate attempts to harm the Scottish economy have failed.
    Nurse!
    You're calling for another round of anti-depressants?

    I'd imagine that's the only thing keeping Loyalists going these days, no wonder there's a small but significant number of people over-using them.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Mr. Dair, even more over-used than anti-depressants is the silly 'loyalist' term. Come on, old bean. You're not a mongoose.
  • isamisam Posts: 40,731

    Mr. Isam, indeed. Anti-depressant rates are so high that there are trace amounts in the water.

    They're given too readily, and then people, as your friend's example indicates, struggle to get off them.

    There is a new novel out about society's reliance on them to make children behave (the modern cane for children that don't do as they are told) called 'concentr8'... Might be an interesting read
  • DairDair Posts: 6,108

    Mr. Dair, even more over-used than anti-depressants is the silly 'loyalist' term. Come on, old bean. You're not a mongoose.

    If only I were, it would be even easier to deal with the quisling snakes.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    Charles said:

    Oh dear dear dear. It seems some people here are more than a little upset that the report does not state (as would have been quite within its remit without apportioning blame) that the missile was fired from rebel held territory. Keep flapping guys, I'm sure no-one will notice...

    Why was it in their remit to say where the missile was fired from? That issue was irrelevant to the investigation as set out, at least as far as I see it. Where it was fired from, and who fired it, is irrelevant to what caused the plane to break up, or recommendations as to how such an incident could be avoided in the future.

    The type of missile and warhead was within the remit, as they were trying to explain what caused the plane to break up, not who fired it.

    This is common with all sorts of accident reports: the main requirement is to find out what happened, and leave any prosecutions for who did it (whether by incompetence or malice) to the relevant authorities.

    We'll see what happens when the Dutch criminal investigation report is released.
    They did say where it was fired from, that's the point. A 320 square km area in Eastern Ukraine. Had there been a smaller and more specific potential launch area they could and would have said so.
    It would sound bigger if you converted it into square yards.

    Alternatively you could say a 12 x 12 mile area and most people would realise that it is small and specific in the context of the size of Eastern Ukraine.

    Most likely this act was perpetrated by Russian backed and Russian supplied rebels (whether they were actually Russians we will probably never know).

    All your shilling for Putin won't change the fact that he is an avaricious, power-hungry thug
    320 square kilometres is 123.5 square miles to my knowledge. If you know differently, by all means say so.

    I don't shill for anyone - my posts are utterly consistent with my beliefs and always have been. Your attempt to smear me is disgraceful.
    Which is actually smaller than the 12 mile x 12 mile block quoted by Charles.
    TBF I was on the tube and doing the calculations in my head!
  • felixfelix Posts: 15,124
    edited October 2015

    Liverpool, the only northern city with an elected mayor, not appropriate to be at the heart of a Liverpool city-region with an elected mayor.

    Sounds about right to me. no doubt they'll get their rev3enge by voting in a Labour council oh.....
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Mr. Dair, perhaps, but you'd face vicious rivalry with an insurance comparison website.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674

    TGOHF said:

    Scottish unemployement rises 18,000 to 170,000

    Why are the SNP failing the country so badly ?


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-34469567

    "It's getting harder to sustain the argument that the Scottish economy has at least kept pace with the rest of the UK."

    The SNP isn't working. I dare say there's a large emigration of job seekers from the Nat occupied territory that ameliorates those shocking Scottish unemployment figures.
    On the ball as ever
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674

    malcolmg said:

    notme said:

    Northern Powerhouse doesn't extend to Merseyside...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34520919

    It sounds like some councillors on Merseyside did not want to be part of the Northern Powerhouse.

    Still, let's hope the continuing talks sort things out.
    The government wont hand over extra powers unless it has confidence in the local leaders, both elected and paid officers. The bid needs to show you can handle what you are about to get.

    It's a typical British, lets see if it works piecemeal approach. The gvt have huge confidence in the capacity of Manchester and its civic leaders to manage the new responsibilities.
    Yes , only those halfwits in Westminster can decide who is responsible, as they wreck the country to fill their own boots.
    which 56 MPs are you referring to ?
    naughty Alan, you know well the 56 are fullwits
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674
    watford30 said:

    malcolmg said:

    notme said:

    Northern Powerhouse doesn't extend to Merseyside...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34520919

    It sounds like some councillors on Merseyside did not want to be part of the Northern Powerhouse.

    Still, let's hope the continuing talks sort things out.
    The government wont hand over extra powers unless it has confidence in the local leaders, both elected and paid officers. The bid needs to show you can handle what you are about to get.

    It's a typical British, lets see if it works piecemeal approach. The gvt have huge confidence in the capacity of Manchester and its civic leaders to manage the new responsibilities.
    Yes , only those halfwits in Westminster can decide who is responsible, as they wreck the country to fill their own boots.
    Referring to the 59, Scottish Unemployment and dodgy property deals again, I see.
    LOL reading your drivel would have anyone on anti-depressants
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842
    Offtopic - Will Pakistan declare this evening or just go on building a mind bogglingly huge score into day 3 ?
  • HurstLlamaHurstLlama Posts: 9,098
    edited October 2015
    Mr. Brooke has made some points on here this morning about the apparent unwillingness of industry in the UK to train people and its preference for importing people with the skills it needs. Of course the counter argument is always that highly skilled people just cannot be found or trained and so bringing in people from outside is the only option.

    Well, I thought I'd have a look at the jobs which young Brits are apparently incapable of being trained to do - the "UK National Shortage Occupation List". It can be found here:

    http://www.workpermit.com/uk/tier-2-visa-national-shortage-occupation-list.htm

    I found it quite an eye opener. Alongside the expected high level jobs, which only appear on the list so that specific individuals can be recruited, there are some very ordinary artisan jobs at quite low rates of pay. Why is UK industry incapable of training welders (at £11 per hour), for example or how about metal working fitters (£10 per hour). Software people still feature in the list and that really is a scandal.

    In fact I find it difficult to look at that list and not draw the conclusion that the charge of British Industry is deliberately, one might almost say with malice aforethought, refusing to spend money on training and relying on the ability to import people and pass the costs on to the taxpayer.

    A mandatory training levy, was once suggested on these pages by Nick Palmer. It would seem to be a jolly good idea - and make it big (2% of turnover, perhaps) with the refunds for approved training schemes actually carried out in house.

    Edit extra bit: Actually I'd make a proportion of the levy directly deductible from the remuneration package of board members. If ABC Engineering Company don't want to train their own staff then the people making that decision should take a hit in their own pocket.

  • david_herdsondavid_herdson Posts: 17,401

    JEO said:

    “It’s the impact on the children that has been the hardest,” says Tabbakhe. “My four-year-old daughter is too young to understand that she doesn’t eat pork. It’s not something she’s aware of and it’s not something we talk about. What am I supposed to tell her now? We tried to subtly tell her we didn’t eat pork at home. But she thought ‘pork’ was a type of dessert. She said, ‘Yes, I do eat it, it’s delicious.’ That would be funny if it wasn’t such an awful situation.

    Personally, I don't see why a child should be forced to have a pork-free diet based on the religious views of the parents. But it matters a lot to some people. Why don't they just allow parents to send in packed lunches with whatever requirements they need? Then the child gets to avoid the unclean pig meat, but the taxpayer does not have to fund the additional option.
    Well I think this is culture wars by proxy. On the other hand where's the vegetarian option ?
    Why does she need a vegetarian option? She loves the food and it's good for her. The problem could have been avoided were they in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon or the like.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842
    I do love the language when it comes to Scotland here

    'Quislings'; 'Zoomers'; 'Loyalists'; 'Nat occupied territories'. Makes it all sound more like Northen Ireland circa 1973 or modern day occupied territories in israel :D
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,043
    Scott_P said:
    How many of them since the SNP came into power...

    Sadly we are following in the footsteps of the States. This article, as one example, a few years old, shows the scale in US of antidepressant use.

    http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/11/health/he-themd11

    The key sentences for me:

    "But use of these medications is not being restricted to individuals with clear-cut depression; they're also being widely used to treat far milder complaints, such as loneliness or low energy...But emotionally struggling or sad is not the same thing as depressed. Depression is not about feeling a bit blue; it's a devastating disease that undermines one's sense of self-worth and interferes with the ability to perform even routine activities."

    An issue in modern society is an epidemic of loneliness.
  • Plato_SaysPlato_Says Posts: 11,822
    Philip Cowley
    15% of public claim to have watched last PMQs "in full" - yeah, right!

    http://t.co/eQohDbcU6m
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Miss Plato, polar bears are fantastic creatures. Bears generally, in fact. They can run fast a a horse, swim, climb trees, have a sense of smell better than a dog, and they have incredibly strength as well as impressive dexterity.
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    Scott_P said:

    The SNP isn't working. I dare say there's a large emigration of job seekers from the Nat occupied territory that ameliorates those shocking Scottish unemployment figures.

    The Indyref forced finance companies to admit they would move out of Scotland
    If you dig down a bit further into the sectors, the statistics tell us that finance and insurance contracted more than 1% in the most recent quarter, continuing a decline since the start of last year, and 3.6% over the 12-month period.
    Indyref2 is just making it worse

    If the Nats are too feart to use their powers they could at least rule out indyref 2 until 2030 - would be a much needed boost for Scottish business.
  • Plato_SaysPlato_Says Posts: 11,822
    And great hats and rugs and coats.

    Miss Plato, polar bears are fantastic creatures. Bears generally, in fact. They can run fast a a horse, swim, climb trees, have a sense of smell better than a dog, and they have incredibly strength as well as impressive dexterity.

  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    edited October 2015
    Miss Plato, you ursaphobe!
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    malcolmg said:

    naughty Alan, you know well the 56 are fullwits

    Who is number 56?

    Remember Malc, Michelle Thomson IS NOT A MEMBER OF THE SNP...!
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,401

    Miss Plato, polar bears are fantastic creatures. Bears generally, in fact. They can run fast a a horse, swim, climb trees, have a sense of smell better than a dog, and they have incredibly strength as well as impressive dexterity.

    It would be great to have some in Scotland!
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674
    TGOHF said:

    Scott_P said:

    The SNP isn't working. I dare say there's a large emigration of job seekers from the Nat occupied territory that ameliorates those shocking Scottish unemployment figures.

    The Indyref forced finance companies to admit they would move out of Scotland
    If you dig down a bit further into the sectors, the statistics tell us that finance and insurance contracted more than 1% in the most recent quarter, continuing a decline since the start of last year, and 3.6% over the 12-month period.
    Indyref2 is just making it worse
    If the Nats are too feart to use their powers they could at least rule out indyref 2 until 2030 - would be a much needed boost for Scottish business.


    Tweedledee and tweedledum regaling each other from their CCHQ scripts. Could either find Scotland on a map.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674
    Scott_P said:

    malcolmg said:

    naughty Alan, you know well the 56 are fullwits

    Who is number 56?

    Remember Malc, Michelle Thomson IS NOT A MEMBER OF THE SNP...!
    Unlike you , Dumbel , Murray mint and fatso Carmichael she is for Scotland and still in the 56.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674

    Miss Plato, polar bears are fantastic creatures. Bears generally, in fact. They can run fast a a horse, swim, climb trees, have a sense of smell better than a dog, and they have incredibly strength as well as impressive dexterity.

    It would be great to have some in Scotland!
    Too much sun for them
  • isamisam Posts: 40,731
    Andrew Neil mullering the Tory on DP over our recommendation of Saudi Arabia to be the head of the UN human rights commission... Quite funny
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    malcolmg said:

    TGOHF said:

    Scott_P said:

    The SNP isn't working. I dare say there's a large emigration of job seekers from the Nat occupied territory that ameliorates those shocking Scottish unemployment figures.

    The Indyref forced finance companies to admit they would move out of Scotland
    If you dig down a bit further into the sectors, the statistics tell us that finance and insurance contracted more than 1% in the most recent quarter, continuing a decline since the start of last year, and 3.6% over the 12-month period.
    Indyref2 is just making it worse
    If the Nats are too feart to use their powers they could at least rule out indyref 2 until 2030 - would be a much needed boost for Scottish business.
    Tweedledee and tweedledum regaling each other from their CCHQ scripts. Could either find Scotland on a map.

    Dunno but I can by looking outside the window.
  • SlackbladderSlackbladder Posts: 9,704
    Not content with gutting Top Gear, the Beeb seem to be killing off QI as well, Sandi Toksvig just isn't that funny.
  • foxinsoxukfoxinsoxuk Posts: 23,548
    edited October 2015

    Mr. Brooke has made some points on here this morning about the apparent unwillingness of industry in the UK to train people and its preference for importing people with the skills it needs. Of course the counter argument is always that highly skilled people just cannot be found or trained and so bringing in people from outside is the only option.

    Well, I thought I'd have a look at the jobs which young Brits are apparently incapable of being trained to do - the "UK National Shortage Occupation List". It can be found here:

    http://www.workpermit.com/uk/tier-2-visa-national-shortage-occupation-list.htm

    I found it quite an eye opener. Alongside the expected high level jobs, which only appear on the list so that specific individuals can be recruited, there are some very ordinary artisan jobs at quite low rates of pay. Why is UK industry incapable of training welders (at £11 per hour), for example or how about metal working fitters (£10 per hour). Software people still feature in the list and that really is a scandal.

    In fact I find it difficult to look at that list and not draw the conclusion that the charge of British Industry is deliberately, one might almost say with malice aforethought, refusing to spend money on training and relying on the ability to import people and pass the costs on to the taxpayer.

    A mandatory training levy, was once suggested on these pages by Nick Palmer. It would seem to be a jolly good idea - and make it big (2% of turnover, perhaps) with the refunds for approved training schemes actually carried out in house.

    Edit extra bit: Actually I'd make a proportion of the levy directly deductible from the remuneration package of board members. If ABC Engineering Company don't want to train their own staff then the people making that decision should take a hit in their own pocket.

    Nurse training places (cut in 2010) would have been a good place to start!

    There is a lack of joined up government. The NHS is needing to import workers at all levels because of neglect of training. The governments answer to the shortage of GP trainees (50% vacancy rate in the East Midlands)? a 30% paycut! For junior hospital jobs they are cutting the number of places.

    So we will either have staffing shortages or immigrant staff. Honestly! I could do better manpower planning on the back of a beermat after a well lubricated evening.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674
    isam said:

    Andrew Neil mullering the Tory on DP over our recommendation of Saudi Arabia to be the head of the UN human rights commission... Quite funny

    Who ever thought crawling to the inhuman regime to persuade them to buy more bombs and whips from UK was a good idea
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,674
    TGOHF said:

    malcolmg said:

    TGOHF said:

    Scott_P said:

    The SNP isn't working. I dare say there's a large emigration of job seekers from the Nat occupied territory that ameliorates those shocking Scottish unemployment figures.

    The Indyref forced finance companies to admit they would move out of Scotland
    If you dig down a bit further into the sectors, the statistics tell us that finance and insurance contracted more than 1% in the most recent quarter, continuing a decline since the start of last year, and 3.6% over the 12-month period.
    Indyref2 is just making it worse
    If the Nats are too feart to use their powers they could at least rule out indyref 2 until 2030 - would be a much needed boost for Scottish business.
    Tweedledee and tweedledum regaling each other from their CCHQ scripts. Could either find Scotland on a map.
    Dunno but I can by looking outside the window.


    That is the M25 , look again
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Mr. Slackbladder, whilst Fry can be full of himself, I do agree with your assessment.

    There are also rumours of Doctor Who either being axed or changed to a few long 'films' [think Sherlock].
  • isamisam Posts: 40,731
    edited October 2015
    malcolmg said:

    isam said:

    Andrew Neil mullering the Tory on DP over our recommendation of Saudi Arabia to be the head of the UN human rights commission... Quite funny

    Who ever thought crawling to the inhuman regime to persuade them to buy more bombs and whips from UK was a good idea
    A few people seem to think 6m quid would make them change their ways... They are so hard up after all
  • Plato_SaysPlato_Says Posts: 11,822
    edited October 2015
    Unbearably smug, without the conspicuous intelligence.

    Not content with gutting Top Gear, the Beeb seem to be killing off QI as well, Sandi Toksvig just isn't that funny.

  • SlackbladderSlackbladder Posts: 9,704

    Unbearably smug, without the conspicuous intelligence.

    Not content with gutting Top Gear, the Beeb seem to be killing off QI as well, Sandi Toksvig just isn't that funny.

    What with the super bored Alan Davies as well... 'groan'.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Miss Plato, also, isn't she meant to have retired from broadcasting to focus on politics?
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842

    Philip Cowley
    15% of public claim to have watched last PMQs "in full" - yeah, right!

    http://t.co/eQohDbcU6m

    People who sign up for panels are far more likely to watch PMQs than the general population. Thats the real conclusion from this work.
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    malcolmg said:

    TGOHF said:

    malcolmg said:

    TGOHF said:

    Scott_P said:

    The SNP isn't working. I dare say there's a large emigration of job seekers from the Nat occupied territory that ameliorates those shocking Scottish unemployment figures.

    The Indyref forced finance companies to admit they would move out of Scotland
    If you dig down a bit further into the sectors, the statistics tell us that finance and insurance contracted more than 1% in the most recent quarter, continuing a decline since the start of last year, and 3.6% over the 12-month period.
    Indyref2 is just making it worse
    If the Nats are too feart to use their powers they could at least rule out indyref 2 until 2030 - would be a much needed boost for Scottish business.
    Tweedledee and tweedledum regaling each other from their CCHQ scripts. Could either find Scotland on a map.
    Dunno but I can by looking outside the window.
    That is the M25 , look again

    Try again - the M is correct - clue I can just about see a large 3D whisky brand in stainless steel.
  • JEOJEO Posts: 3,656

    Unbearably smug, without the conspicuous intelligence.

    Not content with gutting Top Gear, the Beeb seem to be killing off QI as well, Sandi Toksvig just isn't that funny.

    QI has struggled by its push to include comediennes like Sandi Toksvig and Roni Ancona for gender balance, when they're sadly just not as funny as most of the male guests.

    To be fair, they acknowledge the issue themselves:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5_IcqrM96M
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    edited October 2015
    Mr. Pulpstar, and perhaps more likely to be leftwing, given the divergence between polling and reality ahead of the last election?

    That was only a few months ago. Seems bloody ages.

    Edited extra bit: Mr. JEO, there was an amusing Kiwi [or Aussie, but I think Kiwi] on the other day. Cal Wilson, upon checking.
  • DairDair Posts: 6,108

    Nurse training places (cut in 2010) would have been a good place to start!

    There is a lack of joined up government. The NHS is needing to import workers at all levels because of neglect of training. The governments answer to the shortage of GP trainees (50% vacancy rate in the East Midlands)? a 30% paycut! For junior hospital jobs they are cutting the number of places.

    So we will either have staffing shortages or immigrant staff. Honestly! I could do better manpower planning on the back of a beermat after a well lubricated evening.

    The problem is that it is very hard to unwind the damage that New Labour did to the training of young people for future careers and how New Labour used existing bias in the older population to deliver a meaningless and failing system.

    To people who were at university or in apprenticeships in the 70s and 80s when these were genuinely useful ways of gaining skills and careers, attending university and getting an apprenticeship sound excellent. What Blair did was create a new system where University was packed as a method of hiding unemployment and apprenticeships were used as a way to subsidise low skill jobs which offered no career path.

    It is very hard, politically, to undo this. The SNP starts to cut into the fat of Higher Education and their opponents start screaming that they are slashing "140,000 places" when FTEs in Higher Education have only dropped by 1.3% as the SNP slashes the hobby and meaningless courses.

    We now have a system where too many people are sent to university for meaningless courses and too many people are becoming Apprentice Office Juniors.

    This won't change till the people who have been failed by this system in the 90s and 2000s become the older generation concerned about their childrens future and have the knowledge that "going to university" or "getting an apprentice" could well be a meaningless political buzzword.
  • blackburn63blackburn63 Posts: 4,492
    Dair said:

    Carnyx said:

    I have camped in some of those remote areas of Scotland...I would hate to be woken up by a very hungry wolf looking for breakfast...with me as the main course.

    Those midges feast on tourists already. I would swap them for wolves anyday.
    Highland Cows probably pose more risk to campers and walkers than wolves.

    Having said that, I'm not in favour of the reintroduction of wolves into the Highlands.
    IIRC, reintroduction of wolves was actively considered for Rum [edit:both an island and a National Nature Reserve] in the 1970s-1980s but it was decided that the island was too small to support a reasonably sized population without the normal stochastic variation of population leading to local extinction too soon.

    Lynx is much more doable in any case [edit] for Scotland as a whole. Smaller, higher population density, eat smaller prey.

    But overpopulation of Red Deer continues to be a worry.

    The idea of reintroducing wolves seems quite ridiculous, there is no benefit and only cost. The reintroduction of raptors or lynx which target vermin is a much clearer choice.

    The whole business around deer seems bizarre to me and what I don;t get is why the marketplace for consumer venison is still considered (and priced) as a premium product at premium prices when it would appear to be an excellent and healthier alternative to beef and pork.

    I'd be interested to know what is preventing such a change as it would seem that if left to the market the overpopulation problem would be solved and provide the country with a huge amount of healthy, cheap meat.
    What's preventing it is a society of fat, overfed people who would recoil at the thought of eating Bambi. They'd far prefer a pizza covered in ketchup.

  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842
    edited October 2015

    Mr. Pulpstar, and perhaps more likely to be leftwing, given the divergence between polling and reality ahead of the last election?

    That was only a few months ago. Seems bloody ages.

    People who are more politically interested (Outside of professional interest) tend to be more leftwing I think. Politicalbetting.com is the exception that proves the rule.
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 4,785
    isam said:

    Mr. Isam, indeed. Anti-depressant rates are so high that there are trace amounts in the water.

    They're given too readily, and then people, as your friend's example indicates, struggle to get off them.

    There is a new novel out about society's reliance on them to make children behave (the modern cane for children that don't do as they are told) called 'concentr8'... Might be an interesting read
    The précis didn't float my boat at all tbh. Big pharma..... ADD.... medicalising non-existent conditions.... rough kids... Just a whole mish-mash of issues in various shades of conspiracy theory.

    Oh for the day when a whole raft of common mental and behavioural conditions can be not only explained but moreover diagnosed by directly measuring the underlying genetics and biochemistry rather than by primarily classifying illness with the type of questionnaire based diagnosis that the DSM system codifies, with all its associated pitfalls. Campaigns about mental health will move things forward, but I don't think we will get all the way there by having explanations of a lot of these illnesses that mirror the sort of explanations that exist for, for instance, type I diabetes or hyperthyroidism.

    Of course, we will still have to address as society where the boundary of medical intervention should lie.
  • isamisam Posts: 40,731
    edited October 2015
    John McDonnell speaks like a 90 year old... So does Corbyn at times... Is this a deliberate strategy to make it look like they are being bullied?? Would play well in the eyes of left wing victim porn enthusiasts

    "Ooh I'm a bit of a quivering wreck... I've only the wireless for company"

    Reminds me of a frail pensioner in an Alan Bennett monologue
  • DairDair Posts: 6,108

    Mr. Slackbladder, whilst Fry can be full of himself, I do agree with your assessment.

    There are also rumours of Doctor Who either being axed or changed to a few long 'films' [think Sherlock].

    The problem with QI is not merely the Quota for unfunny women, the core problem is Alan Davies who over the last 3 or 4 seasons has reduced much of the humour to puerile penis jokes which not only fall flat but undermine it's previous appeal as an educational family show.
Sign In or Register to comment.